


Red Light

by o_rcrist



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Kaciart, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-15 15:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3453107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o_rcrist/pseuds/o_rcrist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a car accident, Fili is in shock while his Uncle Bilbo lies motionless in a hospital bed in front of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by one of [Kaciarts](http://kaciart.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art) amazing drawings who was also kind enough to let me use her drawing in this fic.  
> Seriously go check out her art. It's life changing.

Fili clasped his hands together, trying to stop them from shaking. It didn't work. He looked up from his hands to his Uncle, who was lying in the hospital bed, attached to dozens of machines that were whirring and beeping. He was unconscious and wasn't able to breathe on his own entirely. The doctors had sedated him so that he would rest.

“Fili?!”

Fili looked behind him, right before his Uncle Thorin wrapped him up in a bone-crushing embrace. Fili winced, but returned the tight embrace, his shaking intensifying.

“What happened lad?” Thorin asked, his voice shaking with worry.

“I-I don't know,” Fili stammered out into his Uncles chest. “We were driving through the intersection and then we got hit and we spun around and Uncle Bilbo wasn't moving and-” Fili began to sob, unable to continue as it all came rushing back to him.

They had been out birthday shopping for Kili and were on their way back home when everything went to hell. A freak snow storm had hit a day early, causing everyone to panic and drive erratically. It had been his idea to go out still. _This was his fault_.

“They ran a red light Fili,” Thorin quietly murmured into his hair. “This _wasn't_ your fault.”

Fili hiccuped, realizing he must have been talking out loud. He shook his head, his snot and tears getting rubbed into his Uncles coat. “Yes it was. If I hadn't asked Uncle Bilbo to come with me, we wouldn't be here right now.”

Thorin kneeled down slightly, bumping his forehead against his nephews. “It doesn't matter Fili. This _was not_ your fault. That bastard chose to run the red light. You did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“But if I hadn't asked-”

“You and Bilbo have been planning this for _week's_ Fili. It's a freak accident.”

“But-”

“No more 'buts' Fili,” Thorin gently said. “No matter what you think, this was not your fault. You can't blame yourself. Understand?”

Fili nodded, wiping at his eyes with his bandaged hands. Thorin gently took them in his own, carefully inspecting them. The window had shattered on Bilbo's side of the car, the glass flying and cutting into Fili's hands as he had tried to keep control of the wheel. The nurses had practically had to hold him down, he was so frantic to get to his Uncle once they had arrived at the hospital. He looked up from Fili's hands, taking in his nephews bruised face and the small gash on the right hand side.

“Fili, are you hurt anywhere else?” Thorin gently asked.

Fili gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “Everything is sore. The doctors said bruises would probably form on my back and left side soon because of the impact.”

“Concussion, broken bones, sprains?”

Fili shrugged again. “I don't know about the concussion. The doctors are supposed to come tell me soon. Nothing feels broken or sprained either.”

Thorin let out a deep breath. “Do the doctors know you're in here Fili?”

Fili nodded. “They wouldn't let me in at first. They wanted me to wait in another room.” Thorin smiled softly at his exhausted nephew. He knew just how stubborn both lads could be and just how attached they were to their Uncles. “I told them I would behave if they let me sit with Uncle Bilbo.”

Thorin shook his head as he let out a small laugh. “You're so stubborn. Just like your mother.”

Fili let out a small laugh as well, wiping away some stray tears. Just then an elderly doctor walked in, a clipboard in his hands. He gave them both a soft smile; Thorin standing up fully and shaking the mans hand. “Oin. I wish I was seeing you under better circumstances.”

Oin nodded in agreement. “I wish the same laddie.” He looked at Fili and Bilbo. “Lets get the unpleasant business out of the way first.”

Thorin let out a sigh and nodded in agreement.

Oin set his clipboard down on the edge of Bilbo's bed and looked at Fili. “First things first. Fili has a mild concussion, but nothing to be concerned about. I want you out of school for the rest of the week though lad, even if the storm outside doesn't cancel it. No horsing around, no rough housing. Just sit around the house and be lazy. I would advise against playing video games or watching tv excessively, since it might cause headaches. So long as you feel fine come Monday, you're free to return to school, but I'll give you a note out of gym. If you start to feel worse though, I want you or your Uncle to call me immediately.”

Fili nodded in agreement, curling up in his chair and watching his Uncle Bilbo silently. Sensing that Fili wasn't really paying attention anymore, Oin directed his next words towards Thorin. “The lads hands will be fine in about a week as well. Their was no need for stitches since the cuts weren't deep. Clean them twice a day and rewrap them in bandages and they'll heal just fine. For the bruising the lad is bound to develop, I'm going to prescribe some pain meds and also advise him to soak in an epsom salt bath to help relieve the aches.”

Thorin nodded in understanding, gently squeezing Fili's shoulder. Oin looked at the boy in sympathy, picking up a spare blanket from Bilbo's bed and wrapping it around the lad. He was still in shock and was shutting everyone out. Fili seemed confused for a moment, but still gave Oin a small smile.

“In regards to the shock, warm blankets and family will help cure that.”

Oin stood back up, looking at Bilbo. “Your husband has been through a lot. He took the brunt of the impact, his right arm and leg are both broken. He's suffering from a severe concussion and we're keeping him sedated while the swelling goes down. He's also having an extremely hard time breathing on his own because of the severity of the impact, so we've got machines helping him breathe right now. When we allow him to come out of sedation, those tubes will come out as well, since he'll be able to breathe on his own by then. Like Fili, he's got cuts and scrapes on his face and hands, as well as bruising on his righthand side.”

Fili was shaking in his chair again, while Thorin looked absolutely helpless as he looked between his nephew and husband.

“The good news is that your husband will come out of this fine.”

Thorin looked up to Oin, a small flicker of hope on his face.

“The bad news is that he's going to be here for at least a week, maybe two. It all depends on when the swelling goes down, but it should only be a few days. And we'll want him to stay here under observation for at least three days after that.”

Thorin nodded in agreement. “Okay. And after that?”

“About six weeks of bed rest to let his arm and leg heal.”

Thorin grimaced. Bilbo was going to _hate_ that. He hated sitting still when he was being forced to.

Oin chuckled slightly, recognizing the look. “He can move around a bit, but he needs to stay off his leg if he wants it to heal with no problems. He won't be able to handle crutches since he's got a broken arm as well.”

“He's gonna make me cart his ass around everywhere,” Thorin said with a groan, but he smiled nonetheless.

Oin smiled. “He'll be perfectly find in a few weeks. After his bones heal, he'll have a few weeks of physical therapy as well.”

Thorin nodded again, his eyes flicking to Bilbo again. “How many visitors can he have at a time? I've got two other nephews who are worried about him.”

“So long as they're quiet, you can all be here at the same time,” Oin answered. He looked at Fili again, starting to grow concerned at how much the boy was shaking. He jerked his head away from them, Thorin taking the hint and following Oin towards the entrance to the room. “You should get him out of here,” Oin quietly said. “He's in shock and it's only getting worse. Get him home and in bed, have your other nephews spend time with him.”

Thorin nodded. “I've got my cousin coming here to meet me and take Fili home. He'll watch over all of them until I get home.”

“I assume you'll be spending the night?”

He nodded again. “Yes.”

“I'll have an armchair brought up for you then.”

With a nod, Oin departed, leaving Thorin alone with his nephew and husband. Thorin wrapped his arm around Fili's shoulders, pulling the lad closer to him. Fili clutched at his blanket, resting his head on his Uncle's chest.

“Dwalin will be here soon,” Thorin murmured to him. “He's going to take you home and stay with you all tonight.”

“But Uncle Bilbo-”

Thorin gently shushed Fili, carding his hands through his nephews unruly hair. “I'm staying with him tonight. If anything changes, I'll call Dwalin to let him know.”

Fili nodded, using the blanket to wipe at his face.

“It's all going to be okay Fili,” Thorin reassured him. “Bilbo's going to be fine. Give him a few days and he'll be yelling at you about tracking mud through the house again.”

A shadow of a smile showed on Fili's lips and Thorin gently bumped his forehead against his nephews again. He pulled another chair up next to Fili's, the lad leaning into him as much as he could, while they both waited in companionable silence.

Dwalin arrived about half an hour later, being unusually quiet as he knocked on the door to Bilbo's room. Thorin gave him a grateful smile, gently nudging Fili awake. The lad blinked owlishly, his eyes finally focusing on Dwalin. He gave his cousin a ghost of a smile as Thorin helped him stand out. Fili winced slightly, the adrenaline from the accident having worn off and no longer keeping his pain at bay.

“Go home and rest Fili,” Thorin gently instructed him Dwalin came to Fili's side, carefully wrapping his arm around Fili's shoulder. “Oin already called in your prescription.”

“Aye, we'll stop and get it on our way home,” Dwalin added. “Anything else we need to get?”

Thorin shook his head. “I'll pick up the epsom salt when I come home in the morning.”

“Kili and Frodo want to know when they can see Bilbo,” Dwalin quietly said.

Thorin let out a deep breath, turning slightly to look at Bilbo. “I don't want them seeing Bilbo like this. Oin said it would only be a couple days before he was awake, so they'll have to wait until then.”

“They're not going to want to wait Thorin,” Dwalin began. “They're worried about him.”

Thorin pinched his nose between his fingers while Dwalin hugged Fili closer to him. “Fili never should have had to see something like this.” He glanced at his nephew. Fili's eyes were distant and it was obvious the lad wasn't hearing a word he was saying. “He's _seventeen_ Dwalin and he just watched Bilbo almost die. I won't let Kili or Frodo see Bilbo like this.”

Dwalin nodded, knowing he wouldn't be able to sway Thorin on this. He glanced at Bilbo for a long moment, then looked back to Thorin. “Take it easy tonight. “I'll get Kili and Frodo off to school in the morning, you just worry about Bilbo for now.”

Thorin nodded, giving Fili one more final forehead bump before Dwalin gently lead Fili out of the room.

He slumped down in Fili's vacated chair, carefully grasping Bilbo's good hand between his own. “Please wake up soon.”


	2. Wake Up

It had been four days since the accident and Thorin was starting to lose his damn mind. He _needed_ Bilbo to wake up. _Right now_.

He groaned loudly as he slumped over in his chair, his face in his hands. He was mentally exhausted, the trauma from the past week pushing both him and his family to their limits and beyond. Poor Fili was miserable, still convinced that this was all his fault, despite Thorin and Dwalins reassurances that it was quite the opposite. Thorin had spent every night at the hospital so far, only leaving to check on his nephews every morning as Dwalin helped them get ready for school and to come home every night to tuck them all into bed and reassure them that Bilbo was going to be okay.

Their family wouldn't be whole again until Bilbo woke up.

He rubbed at his face, wondering if his sixth cup of coffee for the day would be one to many. The nurses who came in to periodically check on Bilbo would usually give him a disapproving shake of their heads, but it was negated by the fact that every morning one of them kindly handed him a cup of coffee with a smile.

They all said that Bilbo was doing fine, that he was healing and no other complications had arisen, but Bilbo still stubbornly refused to wake up. Last night Bilbo had begun to take sporadic breaths on his own accord, but Oin was waiting until he woke up before he fully took the ventilator out. Bilbo still had a low grade fever, but Oin had reassured him that was completely normal and it was nothing to worry about.

Thorin's iPhone vibrated from where it was resting on the edge of Bilbo's bed. Half-paying attention, he unlocked it to see a text from Dwalin, telling him that he'd finally gotten Fili to play some video games. Thorin smiled softly at the picture Dwalin had sent, showing Fili with his eyes focused on the giant tv in the living room, playing what looked like _Destiny_.

He shook his head slightly. Fili had been begging for the game for _months_ , but Thorin and Bilbo had been firm in the belief that if the lad wanted sixty dollar games he had to find a way to pay for them himself. Lately he'd taken to working part time in Dwalin's motorcycle shop, earning extra money on the weekends to pay for his video game collection. He knew this had been next on the list, but he highly suspected that Dwalin had gone out and bought it for the lad.

After all he had been through though, Fili really had earned the game.

He shut off his phone, folding his arms on Bilbo's bed and laying his head on them. His eyes were fixed on Bilbo, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. He moved slightly, taking Bilbo's hand in his rough one, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth on his soft skin. Thorin didn't know why, but it was a soothing motion for him, helping to calm his still racing heart.

He just wanted Bilbo to wake up.

While they were mere feet from each other, this was the longest Thorin had gone without Bilbo's voice in nearly twenty years. The longest he had gone without one of his smiles or laughs. He hated the silence surrounding Bilbo. It just wasn't natural.

Even if Bilbo wasn't talking, he was usually humming a tune to himself or making angry noises when he couldn't get a recipe to turn out the way he wanted it to.

Thorin's personal favorite were the noises he made when he was watching a cooking show. It was hilarious to watch Bilbo get all puffed up and angry, providing his own commentary on how they were supposed to be doing it. Their nephews found it equally amusing.

He smirked to himself. Well maybe those were his second favorite noises. His real favorites were all the noises his husband made in the bedroom. Most people were astounded to find out that Bilbo really was a very vocal lover.

"Wake up Bilbo!"

He scowled at the machines hooked up to Bilbo. They were beeping rhythmically, not having changed since he had arrived. He felt like something should be changing on them, showing that Bilbo was going to wake up soon. But no, they just continued on in the same way they had.

It was _infuriating_.

“Come on Bilbo,” Thorin softly pleaded. “Wake up.Wake up dammit. You've been asleep for four days. Fili is driving himself mad. Kili is worried sick. Frodo cried himself to sleep last night. He terrified he's going to lose you like he lost his parents. The lad doesn't understand what's happening.”

Bilbo didn't move.

“Please Bilbo. Please wake up. Our family is falling apart right now and I don't know how to fix it. Dis is still half a world away right now. She's been trying to get home, but she hasn't been able to get a flight yet. Fili and Kili have her at least, but poor Frodo. He's stuck with me and Dwalin as his last parental figures since you're stuck here.” Thorin wiped at his eyes, snorting softly. “And we're complete shit at it. Poor lad. He needs you right now. He really does. He needs to know you're up and that you're not going to leave him to.”

He wiped at his eyes again. “Kili said he knows what his birthday wish is going to be. He wants you to wake up.” He let out a half-sob half-laugh. “Said he's willing to give up all his future birthday and Christmas presents if you would just wake up.” He took a deep breath. “He can't even think about his party anymore. We postponed it until you wake up. I tried to tell him he could still have his party, but he said it wouldn't be a party without you.”

The machines keep beeping.

“Bilbo, _please_ wake up,” Thorin pleaded again. “Please. Squeeze my hand, twitch your finger, blink, hit me over the head with a pillow. Just something. Just please wake up.”

Nothing.

“Dammit, Bilbo, wake up!”

He let go of Bilbo's hand, burying his face in his own again. He _couldn't_ do this anymore. He needed Bilbo. He needed his husband to be awake. He needed to be able to reassure the lads their Uncle was okay and not have them give him looks of disbelief. He needed the person who hit his husband and nephew in front of him so he could punch him square in the face.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to reign in his anger. He did it again, but it was so hard. He was so _angry_. One idiots stupid, _careless_ decision, and his nephew was now traumatized and his husband was unconscious in a hospital bed.

He rubbed at his forehead as he thought about Fili. The lad hadn't said a word since Dwalin had brought him home from the hospital. He just sat in his room, curled up in his bed with his music playing in the background. Kili and Frodo had crawled into bed with him at some point during that first night, Dwalin having found them all together the next morning.

He was starting to get concerned, but hoped that Bilbo waking up would help Fili get back to normal. If not, well, he would cross that bridge when they got there.

He tried taking another deep breath, letting it out slowly as he ran his hands through his unruly hair.

“Please wake up Bilbo.”

He watched Bilbo in silence for several more minutes, finally letting out a heavy sigh as he stood up and stretched his back. He turned his gaze to the window, grimacing as he looked at the ice covered buildings and slick roads. Damn weather. Stupid drivers.

A low groan had him turning around so fast he thought he gave himself whiplash. He rushed to Bilbo's side, taking one of his hands in his own as he watched Bilbo's face. His eyes were fluttering, Bilbo's broken arm rising up and trying to pull at the ventilator.

“No, Bilbo,” he gently said, guiding his husbands hand away from the machinery and back down. “It's helping you breath right now. Can you open your eyes for me?”

It took several long moments, but Bilbo's eyes _finally_ opened, looking around hazily before they fell on Thorin. Bilbo's eyes softened as they met his husbands, but just as quickly as they softened, they turned to complete panic.

“Bilbo, what's wrong?” Thorin asked, the heart rate monitor beside Bilbo's bed starting to increase in it's beating. Bilbo yanked his good hand free, trying to rip out the ventilator, but Thorin was to fast for him, quickly pinning his hands down. “Bilbo, please calm down!”

Bilbo shook his head, still trying to free his hands as he made desperate noises. His eyes met Thorin's, and he could see the pleading look in them. The pain, the terror, the _fear_.

Thorin instantly put it all together.

“Fili's fine Bilbo.” He loosened his grip slightly, leaning down to bump his forehead against Bilbo's. “He's tired and sore, but he's fine. I promise you that.” Feeling Bilbo relax beneath him, he let go of Bilbo's wrists, his hands gently cradling Bilbo's head as Bilbo shakily brought his hands up to grip at Thorin's wrists. “He's at home with Dwalin right now. He's okay.” He could feel Bilbo shaking under him. “He's okay. You're okay. That's all that matters right now.”

Bilbo nodded, tears running down his face. Thorin tenderly wiped them away, kissing his husbands forehead. “I'm going to call the nurses. Let them know you're awake.” He was surprised they hadn't come running in when Bilbo's heart beat had spiked, but he had no clue how all these machines worked or what was hooked up to the nurses station.

Bilbo gave another nod as Thorin reached over and hit the call button. Minutes later, a nurse came in, smiling at the two of them as she quickly checked Bilbo's vitals. “It's good to see you awake Mr. Baggins. Everything here looks fine. Oin should be here in a few minutes. I paged him as soon as you called us, so he shouldn't be much longer.” She gave Bilbo a kind smile. “I can only assume you want that out as soon as possible, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until he arrives.”

Bilbo nodded, crossing his eyes to glare at the ventilator in his mouth. Thorin smiled, as did the nurse. “Let's get you sitting up,” she said, moving to the free side of the bed. Bilbo had started trying to sit up himself, but Thorin gently pushed him back into the bed. She snorted and shook her head. “No moving on your own right now. Let your husband and us do all the work for you.” She put her foot on a pedal, and the head of the bed started to move up slowly, Bilbo letting out a low groan of relief when he was finally sitting most of the way up. Thorin gently carded his hand through Bilbo's messy curls, giving his husband a soft smile.

The nurse checked his machines again, and looking satisfied, turned back to Thorin and Bilbo. “While we're waiting for Oin to get here, I'll explain how we're going to take the ventilator out.” Bilbo nodded eagerly. “You've been on it for four days, so you're going to be weak and possibly lightheaded when we take it out. It's completely normal, so don't panic. The ventilator supplies a higher percentage of oxygen to your body, but obviously the normal oxygen percentage in the air is less. Oin will turn the machine off first and you'll have to take several breaths on your own. Once that's done Oin will be able to remove the tube. Essentially, you'll just cough it up.”

Bilbo made a face at that and Thorin chuckled. Bilbo rolled his eyes and made grabby hands at Thorin, pointing to his husbands iPhone lying forgotten at the edge of his bed. Thorin happily obliged him, Bilbo easily putting in Thorin's passcode and pulling up the notes. He quickly typed something in and then handed the phone to the nurse. Thorin cringed, not knowing what to expect, but she just let out a laugh and handed the phone back to Bilbo.

“Not exactly how I would put it, but essentially. After that Oin will have you on a nasal cannula for a day or two. It will deliver a higher amount of oxygen to you than you would get out of the air normally, but less than the ventilator.”

Bilbo and Thorin shared a confused look. “A nasal canawhat?” Thorin asked hesitantly.

She smiled in understanding. “It's something I'm fairly certain you've seen. It's when you have oxygen being run through a tube. Usually the oxygen tubes hook behind your ears, joining under your chin and connecting to the oxygen supply. Sound familiar?”

They both nodded, Bilbo slumping back into his pillows. He just wanted this stupid thing out.

“How's your pain?”

Bilbo looked down at himself, his eyes widening as he took in his broken arm and leg. He looked to Thorin, confusion all over his face.

“The impact broke them,” he explained. He pulled up a pillow from the edge of the bed, carefully lifting Bilbo's arm and setting it down on the pillow. Bilbo nodded, flexing his fingers experimentally and wincing slightly. He did the same with his toes, wincing again.

The nurse waited patiently, holding out her hands to Bilbo with her fingers spread slightly. “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst, how's your pain?”

Bilbo thought for a moment, then used his good hand to close one of her hands into a fist and then tuck in her thumb on her other hand. She gave him a skeptical look as did Thorin.

“Bilbo, no playing this down,” Thorin gently admonished him. “Tell us the truth.”

Bilbo closed his eyes, while she held out all her fingers again. He opened up his eyes slowly, using his hand to tuck in three of her fingers.

“Seven?” The nurse verified.

Bilbo nodded as she went over to the dry erase board and circled it on the pain scale. Thorin pressed a kiss to Bilbo's curls, trying to placate his clearly annoyed husband. Oin bustled in, giving Bilbo a grin as he bumped Thorin out of the way. Thorin gave Oin a dirty look, but said nothing as he moved to stand at the end of Bilbo's bed.

“It's good to see you awake laddie. Now lets get down to business. Has Rosie talked you through everything?”

Both of them nodded.

“Excellent. I'm going to switch of the machine, but you will still be able to breathe on your own Bilbo. Take a few deep breaths and once I'm satisfied, I'll let you cough that tube on up.”

Bilbo nodded again, tensing slightly as Oin turned off the machine, Rosie standing over him as Bilbo slowly breathed on his own. The sound was ragged and strained, but he was breathing under his own willpower. She put his arms on his shoulders as he swayed slightly, pressing him back gently. “No sudden movements, just go slow,” she instructed him.

Bilbo gave another nod, while Oin instructed him to keep breathing. After Bilbo had successfully drawn breath for five minutes, Oin finally said the tube could come out. Rosie quickly grabbed a towel, holding it under Bilbo's mouth as he began to hack, the tube slowly coming out, as well as quite a fair amount of mucus and saliva. She easily cleared away the tube and seamlessly put the nasal cannula in place.

Bilbo's voice was raspy as he looked at Rosie. “Water please?”

She gave him a smile and nodded. “I'll be right back. Remember no sudden movements.” She looked at Thorin. “He moves, you sit on him.”

Oin and Thorin chuckled as she left the room, while Bilbo gave them both a cross look. “Smile love,” Thorin gently said as he wiped at where the tape had held the ventilator in place. “The worst is behind us.”

 


	3. Blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter after this.

Dwalin had his arm around Fili's shoulders as he lead the lad up to Bilbo's room. Thorin had texted him not long after Bilbo had woken up, asking him to bring Fili. It had taken Dwalin nearly twenty minutes to get the lad into his car. Fili had kept on shaking his head, mumbling some nonsense about Bilbo being angry at him and hating him. Eventually Dwalin had to all but drag the lad out of the house and into his truck.

“Relax Fili,” Dwalin quietly told him. “Bilbo just wants to see that you're okay.”

Fili kept shaking under his arm. He shook his head and let out a sigh. Despite his and Thorin's reassurances over the past couple of days, Fili hadn't listened to a word they had said.

They got into the elevator, Dwalin hitting the floor number and the door closed. He could practically feel Fili hyperventilating.

“Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.”

Fili did as he was told, but his shaking didn't stop.

The door opened to Bilbo's floor, Dwalin gently nudging Fili forward out of the elevator. They walked in silence towards Bilbo's room, Fili looking at the floor and refusing to look up. Dwalin didn't envy Bilbo right now. He would have to move the moon to convince Fili this whole mess wasn't his fault.

Dwalin rapped on the door as they walked in, smiling at Bilbo and Thorin. They smiled in return, Bilbo's eyes softening as he looked at his eldest nephew.

Thorin stood up from where he had been sitting on the edge of Bilbo's bed, clasping arms with Dwalin and bumping heads.

Fili wrapped his arms around himself, shrinking into Dwalin's side impossibly more.

“Go on lad,” Dwalin whispered, nudging Fili forward towards Bilbo. “Thorin and I have to talk about something.”

Thorin looked at Dwalin curiously, nudging his nephew forward until he was standing beside Bilbo and then following Dwalin out of the room.

“Fili?” Bilbo gently asked.

Fili sniffled, his eyes briefly looking up to meet Bilbo's before they once again returned to staring at the floor. He swallowed audibly and Bilbo noticed how Fili was shaking.

Bilbo tried again. “Come here and let me look at you.”

Fili took a miniscule step forward, but was still out of Bilbo's reach. Bilbo sighed, slumping back into his pillows. He flexed the fingers of his broken arm, wishing he could just pull the lad into a hug. His poor nephew looked like he really needed one right now.

“Closer lad?” Bilbo asked hesitantly. If Fili just got a few inches closer, he would be able to reach him.

Fili shuffled a little closer and Bilbo lunged forward, pulling Fili into the strongest hug he could manage.

And he broke.

“I'm so sorry,” Fili sobbed into Bilbo's hospital gown. “I'm so so sorry! This was all my fault and I'm sorry and please don't be mad at me!”

Bilbo gently shushed him, doing his best to hold his nephew as tightly as he could with his one good arm. “This isn't your fault Fili,” he softly told him. “None of this is your fault. You did _absolutely_ nothing wrong.”

Fili shook his head, curling up beside Bilbo on the bed. “Y-yes it is. _I_ was the one who wanted to go out and get Kili's birthday present.”

Bilbo shook his head, squeezing Fili tightly. “No, we _both_ wanted to go out. We'd been waiting all week for Kili's present to come in.”

“But I should have known better,” Fili argued through his sobs. “I shouldn't have said anything. The weather was so terrible and we shouldn't have gone out and-”

Bilbo cut him off. “No, Fili. The weather had nothing to do with this. At least when it comes to me and you. Thorin taught you to drive in that kind of bad weather and we both have complete faith in your driving skills.”

“I should have been paying more attention then,” Fili argued back. “I-if I had seen him coming-”

“What Fili?” Bilbo demanded, not unkindly. “What could you have done Fili?”

“I don't know!” His sobs began anew, tears and snot running down his face. “But I could have done something!”

Bilbo shook his head, cuddling Fili as best he could. He gently carded his hands through Fili's hair, wary of hitting any cuts or scrapes. Thorin had yet to tell him the full extent of his nephews injuries, only saying that Fili was alive and would be okay in around a weeks time.

“You listen to me lad and you listen well,” Bilbo softly told him. “ _None_ of this is your fault. I'm not angry, or upset, or anything else you think I could be. I could _never_ be angry at you. I could _never_ hate you. You're my nephew and I _love_ you like you're my own son. The only things I am, are happy and so relieved to know that _you're_ okay. That _you're_ alive. That I get to go home to my husband and my three slightly crazy nephews.”

Fili's lips twitched into what looked like a smile.

“What about mom?” Fili asked quietly.

“I'm fairly certain she's the only sane one in our house,” Bilbo said with a soft smile. “And I'm so happy that I get to go home to her to.”

Fili sniffled, his eyes falling to rest on Bilbo's broken arm. He hesitantly reached out, almost touching the cast before he pulled away his fingers like he had been burned.

“It's just a broken bone,” Bilbo reminded him. “Oin said it would be fine in six weeks.”

Fili nodded. “I remember Oin saying something about it.”

Bilbo smiled, flexing his fingers again. They were slightly swollen, but he could still curl his fingers into a fist with no problems.

“You can't garden,” Fili said quietly.

Bilbo's eyebrows furrowed. “It's freezing outside. I wouldn't be able to garden anyway.”

“But it's going to warm up soon and-”

Knowing what Fili was trying to do, Bilbo cut him off again. “Don't even try to blame yourself right now Fili. It's not going to happen because I'm not going to let you do that to yourself. It's cold. And if I really want to garden, I'll just bribe you lot with desserts.”

Fili wiped away some tears, smiling as he gripped at his Uncles hospital gown again. He wanted nothing more than to go back in time and stop this all from happening. Uncle Bilbo would be fine, he wouldn't be being crushed by this overwhelming guilt, and they would all be at home right now.

Bilbo carefully raised his broken arm, tapping Fili on the nose lightly. “What are you thinking about that has your face so scrunched up?”

“I wish I could go back and stop all this.”

Bilbo gave Fili a sympathetic look. “I know lad. But you can't think like that. All it will do is make you feel worse. You can't change the past.”

Fili sniffled again and wiped at his face, nodding in understanding.

Bilbo resumed running his hand through Fili's unruly hair for a few minutes, the two of them saying nothing, just the continuous beeping from the many machines the only sounds in the room.

Bilbo gently pushed Fili up, maneuvering the lad as best as he could to sit in front of him so Bilbo could get a good look at him. “Let me see you.”

Fili looked down at his hands as Bilbo carefully looked over his nephew. He had fading bruises on the left side of his face, as well as a gash on the right side that was scabbed over. It looked like it was healing okay, since it wasn't red or inflamed.

He now noticed the lads were wrapped up in clean bandages, and Bilbo carefully took one in his, turnig it over and examining it. “Why are your hands bandaged lad?”

Fili flexed his fingers before curling them into a fist. “The window shattered and the glass went everywhere. It cut up my hands and face.”

Bilbo took a deep breath, gently squeezing Fili's hand. He had no memory of the accident, only feeling the impact and then everything had gone black for him.

“Anything else?” Bilbo asked.

“I had a concussion,” Fili answered quietly. “It's why I wasn't at school today. Oin said I can go back on Monday.”

Bilbo nodded, reaching out and taking Fili's chin in his hand so he could see examine Fili's face better. He smiled slightly to himself. “Between the two of us, we could be Frankensteins monster.”

Fili smirked, finally letting out a little laugh.

“Their it is,” Bilbo said with a grin. “Now come here and give me a real hug.”

With another laugh, Fili threw himself forward into his Uncle's waiting arms.

“I love you Fili,” Bilbo murmured into the lads hair.

“I love you to Uncle.”

 


	4. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is short, but it's the final piece to Kaciart's original plot of them remembering their past lives. I played on it a little, since I don't know the entire plot.

“You're sure?”

Dwalin nodded. “Positive. It was Smaug who hit them.”

Thorin rubbed at his head. “How did he find us?”

Dwalin shrugged. “Who knows. But he was stupid.”

“How was he stupid?” Thorin demanded. “He almost killed them!”

“Because he hit Bilbo and Fili after running a _red light_ Thorin! While he's just as much a threat as he was when he was a dragon in Erebor, he's still the same. Clever, but rash and impulsive. He saw Bilbo and didn't think, he just acted.”

Thorin let out a deep breath. “What happens now?”

“Smaug's in custody. He's already got lawyers, but against us he's no match. We've got Gandalf and Bilbo's his godson. He'll have Smaug in jail for the rest of his life if he can. He's facing two counts of attempted murder, as well as reckless driving charges.”

“What about Sauron?”

“One lawyer, against Gandalf? He's got at least three others he can call upon to help him, on top of all of the lawyers we have here at Erebor right now. He'll never walk free again. Bilbo's safe. As are your nephews.”

Thorin sagged against the wall. They'd had two decades of peace together and now the ugly bastard had shown his face.

“Has Fili said anything? About remembering?” Dwalin asked quietly.

Thorin shook his head. “No. I don't think he'll ever remember. Him, Kili, and Frodo, they were the innocent ones in all of this. They just blindly followed us out of loyalty.”

“What about Bilbo? He remembers.”

“He woke Smaug, taunted him. The dragon went after Lake-Town because of him.”

“We all taunted him,” Dwalin pointed out.

“But Bilbo is the one who woke him. And he found The Ring, which Frodo then took up to destroy. It's his punishment to remember as well.”

Dwalin looked back towards Bilbo's room. He hoped the lads never remembered. Never remembered how much their families had failed them.

“I've got Nori looking into it,” Dwalin said quietly. “He's staying low, but he has contacts everywhere. Smaug or Sauron tries to make a move, and we'll know about it instantly. He won't say what he's doing, but he says he's helping the case for us.”

“I can't lose them Dwalin,” Thorin said quietly. “Smaug took _everything_ from me once. I won't let him do it again.”

Dwalin put his hands on Thorin's shoulders. “He won't Thorin. He made a mistake that is going to cost him _everything_. Your family is safe. He won't get to you.” He squeezed Thorin's shoulders. “Go back to your family. We'll take care of everything. Dís is already talking to Gandalf. She'll kill Smaug herself if Gandalf doesn't beat her to it. Now go back in there, spend time with Bilbo and Fili. I'll bring Kili and Frodo over as soon as they're home from school.”

Thorin nodded, worriedly looking around.

“He's not going to get to them Thorin. They're safe. You're all safe. Now _go_.”

Thorin nodded again, blindly turning around and going back into Bilbo's room. Dwalin pulled out his phone and calling Nori.

“What's the call?”

“Make sure that bastard doesn't get out of prison alive.”

“Does Thorin know you're making this call?”

“He doesn't need to for now. He needs to take care of his family first. Can you do it?”

“He'll survive until he sentenced. After that, he'll be taken care of.”

“How much?”

“Don't worry about that. This bastard messed with all of us when he went after Bilbo and Fili. He won't make that mistake ever again.”

“And it won't be traced back to you?”

“Never. Smaug has made plenty of enemies on the inside. They're already in for life. They have nothing to lose.”

“Sweeten the pot. Cigarettes for life to the one that ends his.”

“Already done.”

“No one else ever learns about this Nori.”

“You think I'm stupid?”

“No, but I know how your tongue wags around Bofur. No one else is to ever know about this.”

“Understood. Go take care of the rugrats. Ori will come by tomorrow with new blankets for all of them.”

With that Nori hung up and Dwalin pocketed his phone. He smiled darkly to himself as he left the hospital.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said in the last chapter that I had one more to go, but this isn't the final one. I just didn't want to add on something so dark to what was a really happy chapter between Fili and Bilbo. 
> 
> I've already got the next chapter written, which I'll post in the morning.


	5. Burrito

Thorin ushered his three nephews out the door, grabbing his keys off the hook and tossing them to Fili. His car had been wrecked in the accident, Thorin and Bilbo having already discussed getting him a new one, so for now he was using Thorin's car. Fili easily caught them, Kili yelling he had dibs on shotgun. Fili rolled his eyes as he walked out the door, Thorin giving him a smirk as he shut it behind them.

He happily walked back upstairs to his room and smiled as he tried to locate his husband under the blanket burrito he had made himself while Thorin was gone. Bilbo _hated_ the cold. Thorin climbed back onto his side of the bed, gently poking at where he assumed Bilbo's face was. “Care to give me my blankets back?”

“No,” Came the muffled response.

Thorin smiled, wrapping his arms around the Bilbo burrito and pulled him to lay on his chest.

“I'm still not sharing. I'm cold.”

Thorin laughed and began untangling the blankets around Bilbo's head. When he finally uncovered them, he had a very irritated husband glaring at him.

“I'm cold.”

“I thought I was your personal heater?”

“You left.”

“To get our nephews ready for school.”

“Dís could have done it.”

Thorin rolled his eyes and continued to unwrap the blanket burrito. “She went to work early, since she's covering for me until you've recovered. So I got the terrors ready.”

Bilbo smirked, burying his face into Thorin's chest as his smirk turned into a yawn. Thorin rubbed his husbands back gently as he evened out the blankets over the two of them, Bilbo practically purring on his chest. He had only been home for two days and was still exhausted. He hadn't slept well in the hospital, the beds to uncomfortable for him, not to mention they also lacked Thorin in them.

Consequently, Bilbo had spent most of yesterday and the day before sleeping in their bed curled up next to Thorin, every blanket Thorin could find covering Bilbo.

Bilbo grumbled a bit, shuffling off of Thorin's chest and curling up against his side. Bilbo groaned slightly, his face scrunching up in pain for a few seconds. Thorin sat up, grabbing the extra pillows and carefully propping Bilbo's broken leg up on them. He laid back down next to Bilbo, wrapping his arm around his husband and holding him close. Bilbo sleepily laid his broken arm on Thorin's chest, his fingers trying to grip at Thorin's t-shirt, but they were still a little to swollen to hold on. Thorin smiled softly, intertwining his fingers with Bilbo's.

Bilbo mumbled something unintelligible as he snuggled even closer to Thorin, but a smile was still on his face.

“How'd you sleep?” Thorin asked softly as he rubbed Bilbo's shoulder.

“Better than in the hospital,” Bilbo answered with another yawn. “It would be easier if I wasn't so sore.”

Thorin nodded in sympathy, continuing to rub at Bilbo's shoulder. The soreness was to be expected, since Bilbo couldn't really move on his own to stretch his muscles. He was doing his best by giving Bilbo massages, but when Bilbo was lying in bed all day it only did so much. It had been almost two weeks since the accident, which meant Bilbo had at least four more weeks to go with his casts.

Before Bilbo had left the hospital, his original clunky casts had been replaced with slimmer waterproof ones. Thorin knew they still had a few bags of epsom salt left over from Fili's injuries and he knew it had helped Fili immensely by soaking in a bath with them the first few days after the accident.

Thorin moved to get out of bed, but was stopped by Bilbo becoming dead weight on his chest. “No.”

He ran his hand through Bilbo's honeyed curls. “I'm going to run a bath for you.”

“You saying I smell?”

Thorin snorted and he was pretty sure by the look Bilbo gave him that the only reason he didn't get flicked on the nose was because Bilbo's arm was broken. “I'm going to throw the epsom salt in it. They'll help with the soreness.”

“It's to cold to leave the bed,” Bilbo grumbled half-heartedly, but he did shuffle away from Thorin slightly. He really was _sore_ and if Thorin thought it might help, then it was worth a try.

Thorin got back out of bed, pressing a kiss to the top of Bilbo's head as he rearranged the covers back over Bilbo. He went into Fili's bathroom, shuffling through the drawers and rolling his eyes as the box of condoms stashed in the very back of the bottom drawer, adding it to the list of things Thorin was more than happy to be ignorant about. He finally found a bag of epsom salt under the sink, retreating back to his and Bilbo's bathroom. He began filling the tub with hot water, dumping most of the salt into the tub to mix with the water. He ran into Dís' bathroom next, stealing her hair dryer.

Out of all the injuries Bilbo had suffered, he had been lucky enough to avoid surgery on both his broken leg and arm, meaning he had no stitches to worry about. Since he had the waterproof casts, all they had to do was make sure that they dried the interior of them completely. Good thing Dís always invested in the really good hair dryers.

He waited until the tub was mostly full, turning off the water and going to get Bilbo out of bed. He was met with a snoring blanket burrito.

He chuckled again as he extracted his husband from it, lifting Bilbo up in his arms and walking into the bathroom. He set his sleepy husband down on the edge of the tub, helping to maneuver Bilbo out of the oversized t-shirt he was wearing and his sweat pants, followed by his boxers. Bilbo grumbled about it only being fair that Thorin lost some clothes to, but his grumbles quickly turned to moans of relief as Thorin helped him slide into the steaming water.

Thorin smiled as he watched Bilbo close his eyes and smile, picking up Bilbo's clothes and tossing them into the hamper. He tidied up around the bathroom, discreetly trying to clean up the mess he had made in the days Bilbo had been stuck in the hospital. His clothes were thrown _everywhere_. He grabbed them all up and tossed them into the hamper, making a mental note to have Fili do the laundry when he got home from school. 

Bilbo watched it all with a fond smile, the water slowly soaking in into his skin and starting to soothe his sore muscles. The warm water was a blessing to his tired body. He blinked sleepily as Thorin disappeared into their enormous closet for several minutes.

Thorin shuffled around on Bilbo's side of the closet, pulling out a pair of clean pajamas pants from one drawer. It took him a while, but he finally found Bilbo's secret stash of Thorin shirts. He smirked as he pulled out Bilbo's favorite one. He'd been looking for this one for weeks. It was at least two decades old, worn soft by the years and Bilbo's constant stealing of it whenever Thorin wasn't looking. It was at least three sizes to big on his husband, like all of Thorin's shirts. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers out of another drawer and emerged, his face softening as he found Bilbo half-asleep in the bathtub.

He set the clean clothes on the counter, pulling a towel off the rack and kneeling down next to Bilbo. He gently cupped Bilbo's face, pressing a soft kiss to Bilbo's lips. “Ready to get out,” he asked quietly.

Bilbo nodded, his eyes still closed, raising his good arm up to blindly wrap it around Thorin's shoulders. Thorin carefully lifted Bilbo out of the tub, one handedly wrapping the clean towel around Bilbo's waist before he set him down on the rug. He got up to grab another towel and the hair dryer, plugging it in as he sat back down. He helped Bilbo dry off his body, carefully situating Bilbo's leg in his lap as he turned on the hair dryer and began to blow the warm air up into the cast.

Bilbo jumped a bit at the sudden change in temperature, then made a satisfied sound as he leaned back against the tub.

“That feels good,” he mumbled out around a yawn.

Thorin smiled as he kept directing the hot air up Bilbo's cast, periodically checking it to make sure the air wasn't to hot. He kept a careful eye on his husband out of the corner of his eye, wary of Bilbo not saying the air was to hot. Bilbo had a content look on his face though, his eyes slowly drifting closed again and again before he jerked himself back away. He finished drying off Bilbo's leg and started on Bilbo's arm, gently rubbing Bilbo's hand with his free one as he watched the last of the water droplets evaporate.

He helped Bilbo dress, his husband smiling happily as Thorin help slipped the stolen shirt on. “This is my favorite one,” he told Thorin.

Thorin smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Bilbo's lips again. Bilbo smiled as Thorin's lips brushed his, leaning his forehead against Thorin's, not wanting to move. “I remember,” Thorin replied softly. “I just can't remember why.”

Bilbo let out a quiet laugh as Thorin helped him stand up, leaning heavily into Thorin's side since he couldn't put any weight onto his right leg. Thorin crouched down a bit so Bilbo could wrap his arm around Thorin's shoulders again, putting his arm under Bilbo's leg and hoisting him up effortlessly.

Bilbo happily let Thorin carry him around for now, his exhaustion making him not care in the least. They both knew in a week he'd probably be at Thorin's throat for it, but for now, he was happy for it. Without Thorin, he'd be stuck scooting around on his butt to get everywhere, which his nephews would never let him live down. With his luck it would end up on YouTube.

Thorin set Bilbo back down onto their bed, Bilbo immediately grabbing for all of the blankets and pulling them back over him. Thorin rolled his eyes as he yanked the covers out of Bilbo's grabby hands, ignoring the glare Bilbo gave him as he carefully arranged the pillows and propped Bilbo's leg up on them again. He handed the covers back to his annoyed husband, who yanked them back over him so fast Thorin thought he broke the sound barrier.

He got back into his side, yanking free his share of the covers as Bilbo curled up against his side again, resting his broken arm once again on Thorin's chest.

“It's my favorite because it's what you were wearing when we first met,” Bilbo said quietly. Thorin looked down at Bilbo.

“The shirt?”

Bilbo nodded. “You were a complete ass that day.”

Thorin shrugged. He already knew that. He'd been reminded about it multiple times. “You still agreed to marry me. I consider that a win.”

Bilbo laughed quietly. “You said I was a grocer.”

“Your hands were full of grocery bags.”

“Which you didn't even offer to help with.”

“You looked ready to murder me. I wasn't about to free your hands so you could.”

Bilbo laughed again. “I think Dwalin would have stopped me before I could.”

Thorin shook his head. “I don't know. If he knew you had cookies in those bags he probably would have just watched.”

They both shared a laugh, Bilbo yawning widely as he slumped even more into Thorin's side. “So how many of my shirts have you stolen?”

“How many did you find?”

“Seven.”

“I've got seven.”

“You've got another stash don't you?”

“Of course not.”

“Liar.”

“I prefer the term burglar.”

Thorin laughed, pressing a kiss to Bilbo's soft curls. “Go to sleep my burglar.”

Bilbo smiled, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep in Thorin's arms. Thorin smiled, running his hand up and down Bilbo's side softly. Bilbo was safe. His nephews were safe. Everything was right in the world.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me here on [tumblr](http://o-rcrist.tumblr.com)


End file.
